Formed in Cardiff in 2015, the band is working as a three-piece since long-term drummer Ashley Green departed the band in 2024. The current lineup consists of vocalist Lucas Woodland, guitarist Scott Carey, and bassist Benjamin Elliott. After signing with Sharptone Records in 2017, the band released albums ‘Holding Absence’ in 2019, ‘The Greatest Mistake Of My Life’ in 2021, and ‘The Noble Art of Self Destruction’ in 2023.

Their general sound is a more modern, polished take on 2000s emo, taking a framework of contemporary post-hardcore and packing it with emotional lyrical depth and atmospheric moods. Woodland’s impressive vocal talents balance the heavy and soft sections equally, which made him a natural candidate when Welsh emo royalty Funeral For A Friend needed a stand-in vocalist in 2023. He has since split time playing live shows with both bands, with no new music appearing since he took on the role until this week.

The trio announced vague plans on New Year’s Eve 2025, with a simple Instagram post reading “Holding Absence will return in 2026”, before leaving a trail of breadcrumbs on social media throughout March. The hints culminated in the reveal on the 31st of March that the new single ‘Whisper Of A Dream’ would come out on the 2nd of April. The single came with the news of the change in label – American label Sumerian Records are best known for their endorsement of metal bands, but Holding Absence will be accompanied by their musical peers Bad Omens and Static Dress.

‘Whisper Of A Dream’ maintains the band’s classic emotional post-hardcore styling, while incorporating glitchy electronic stabs and robotic vocoder vocal cuts, providing the voice for their new mechanical mascot who stars in the video. Frontman Lucas Woodland states “Lyrically and conceptually, the song draws heavily from cyberpunk media. Contemplation, sentience and dreaming in an ever-evolving world. The music video also introduces our robot mascot Y4-BB0, a character you’ll be seeing more of in the coming years.” Speaking of where the song fits into the grand scheme of their return to the fray, Woodland also says ‘Whisper Of A Dream “felt like the perfect song to return with. In many ways, it represents everything Holding Absence has always been, while introducing new elements to our sound and opening the door to what comes next.”

This cyberpunk-inspired rebirth of Holding Absence ironically follows the dystopian news last year that an AI band trained on their music had overtaken them on Spotify streaming figures. Woodland spoke out on social media site X about the AI-generated music released by “Bleeding Verse”, which openly listed both Holding Absence and US group Dayseeker as its influences, and how it had surpassed his band’s listening statistics for the year in just two months. In the thread of his musings, Woodland commented “It’s shocking, it’s disheartening, it’s insulting – most importantly – it’s a wake up call. Oppose AI music, or bands like us stop existing.”

‘Whisper Of A Dream’ is available now on streaming platforms, with more music likely to arrive via Sumerian later in the year. Catch Holding Absence on Enter Shikari’s tour this November, as it hits the UK and Europe with The Callous Daoboys opening. Dates for the run are here:

NOVEMBER
• 3 – Sporthalle, Hamburg
• 4 – Zenith, Munich
• 5 – Haus Auensee, Leipzig
• 6 – Mitsubishi Electric Halle, Düsseldorf
• 7 – Columbiahalle, Berlin
• 10 – Forest National, Brussels
• 11 – 013 Poppodium, Tilburg
• 13 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
• 14 0 Utilita Arena, Cardiff
• 15 – Connexin Live, Hull
• 18 – OVO Hydro, Hull
• 19 – Co-op Live, Manchester
• 20 – Alexandra Palace, London
• 21 – Alexandra Palace, London

After celebrating 20 years of their sensational debut album ‘The Poison’ last year with an international arena tour, welsh metalcore giants Bullet For My Valentine are revisiting the EP that first got their name out there to the world. In a post on their official Instagram account, they revealed they had been in the studio recording new music, as well as announcing the reissue of 2005 extended play ‘Hand Of Blood’.

Their first EP in the UK, 2004’s ‘Bullet For My Valentine’ featured 5 tracks including title track ‘Hand Of Blood’ and ‘Cries In Vain’, which went on to be used on ‘The Poison’. However they then mixed the track order around and bolted on the hugely popular single ‘4 Words (To Choke Upon)’ when repackaging it as ‘Hand Of Blood’ to the US market.

‘Hand Of Blood’ was met with mixed reviews by journalists overseas in 2005, but Bullet For My Valentine (BFMV) took the metal industry by storm when ‘The Poison’ came out in October of that year. While they had been criticised in the past for copying American bands like Avenged Sevenfold or Atreyu, this album became an instant classic and a defining moment for the metalcore subgenre, a fusion of heavy metal and hardcore punk. What they lacked in originality, they made up for in songwriting and raw quality, with the album still being regarded as one of the best metal releases of all time.

All four singles from the album broke into the UK Official Top 40 Chart, an incredible feat for a heavy metal band, let alone on their first try. ‘All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)’ peaked at 29 on the main chart, second on the UK Rock list, and 13 on the US Mainstream Rock standings.

The impact of the three releases were immediate for the band. In 2005 they were bumped up in priority at Download Festival, before being moved to a prime main stage set for the 2006 edition. The year also saw them support Guns ‘N’ Roses and Metallica on tours, as well as being invited on the US’s prestigious Warped Tour.

For the 20th anniversary of their rise to prominence, they embarked on a 2025 world tour with scene-compatriots Trivium, who also released their breakthrough album ‘Ascendancy’ in 2005, which the two bands named the ‘Poisoned Ascendancy’ tour. Initially planned to travel to the UK, Europe, North America, Australia and South America, BFMV resigned from the tour upon completing the North American leg. In a statement frontman Matt Tuck, who is recognised as the band’s leader, announced that they were withdrawing to return to the studio, with further touring to be unveiled for 2026 and 2027. They made amends with fans in South America and Australia with solo headlining shows before the end of last year, but since finishing these dates there has been no news on their social media channels.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bullet For My Valentine (@bfmvofficial)

The drought for information ended this morning, with the Instagram post starting with “HAND OF BLOOD”, going on to reveal the relaunch. The collection releases on CD and in various vinyl designs, using the artwork from their debut EP ‘Bullet For My Valentine’. Their announcement says “we realised that we never really got to take you back to where it all started. So with that in mind, we’re incredibly happy to be able to share our reissue of the Hand Of Blood EP, releasing March 13th.”

Also in the post, they comment on progress on their latest project, a follow up to their seventh album conveniently also named ‘Bullet For My Valentine’, which released in 2021. They simply state “We’ve started 2026 incredibly strong, working away in the studio. We can’t wait to share with you all that we’ve been working on.” After a 5 year wait, there’s no telling what this will lead to or when we’ll hear it. For now at least, the ‘Hand Of Blood’ reissue can be pre-ordered through this link or enjoyed again on streaming platforms.

Her album, ‘Windrush Baby’ released in 2023, also made number one in the UK iTunes Reggae Chart upon its release.

In an interview with the BBC, she said it was “an honour” to have topped the chart, and that it was “unreal” that she’s made “music history with my reggae roots and passion for mother tongue”. She added that “It’s wild that it’s getting plays all over the world, in Italy, America, Japan, Germany,”

Aleighcia currently hosts the Thursday evening show on BBC Radio Wales, playing a mix of reggae, dub and other music from the 60’s until now. She says music has always been a part of her life: “My parents loved music, neither can sing, but music was always around me, and growing up in a partly Jamaican household, it’s part of their culture, so it was naturally embedded for me.”

She further realized her passion while attending her local youth club, Riverside Warehouse in Cardiff. After going down the typical education route, going to college, university and getting a 9-5 afterwards, she was inspired to invest more into music after an impromptu set at a big gig in Cardiff.

“Whenever I went to shows, I always carried a backing CD with me, and my friends knew this, one of them was DJing and asked if I had any CDs, I did, and I opened the show.

“The next day I handed my notice in, as I realised music was what I wanted to do full-time, and I have been doing it ever since.”

There have been a few reggae events that take place in Wales, such as Reggae Sunday at Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff, a popular reggae/dub night. The Reggae & Riddim Festival has been around since 2022 – taking place in Newport, the festival is organized in collaboration with the Rastafari Indigenous Village from Montego Bay. It’s billed big names in reggae such as Maxi Priest, Richie Spice and Gyptian.

Scott herself talked about the surprise people may feel when hearing her, a reggae artist and woman of colour, speaking in a Welsh accent.

“People can’t believe I am a black person with a Welsh accent, because music is so English centred, or London centred,” she said.

“I know what it’s like to be a Welsh artist, and a Welsh artist of colour, and neither is an easy thing so if I can help the next artists coming up, then that’s what it is about.

“West Indian culture has had such an influence on British culture, from the Windrush, which is everything I stem from, so for me to have achieved this is huge, because it’s everything that came before me.

“To have the first Welsh language number one on the iTunes Reggae chart is amazing. From singing at a youth club to having a number one, and proudly placing Welsh-language reggae on the international stage.”

You can listen to Aleighcia’s new single here.

WE DID IT!!!!!!!

First Welsh language song to reach number one on the iTunes Reggae chart!!!!!! Ahhh!!!!!

Diolch o galon pawb

— Aleighcia Scott (@AleighciaSings) March 21, 2025

The announcement comes with the release of the group’s most recent studio album, Smile, on August 4th via Earache records. The LP will be the band’s eighth to date and its release will be supported by an extensive UK tour that starts on October 6th in Nottingham and finishes, ultimately, in Birmingham on March 16th 2024.

Lead singer Benji Webbe, in a recent press release, has said of the London headline show, “Standing on that stage is a mark of sheer hard work. We have stood upon that stage supporting many truly great acts. Now it’s Skindred’s time to take the headline slot. You may think you’ve seen us, however this is our opportunity to rise, and to step up like never before!
My Sound we come to take over and truly come to rock Wembley with a heart full of gratitude and a set full of the most rockin’ tunes that we have ever played live. Unity, love and togetherness. Let’s ‘ave it. Quadruple XL.”

Watch the music video for “Nobody”, the lead single from Skindred’s first album, Babylon, below:

Skindred were formed in 1998 in Newport and released their debut album, Babylon, in 2002 to critical acclaim, quickly topping the Billboard Top Reggae Albums chart. The band soon amassed a devoted cult following after perfecting the craft of mixing metal rock and alternative metal with reggae, this mixing of genres subsequently becoming known as ragga metal, and the group subsequently becoming one of Britain’s leading pioneers of the genre. The group consists of ever-present members Benji Webbe, lead singer, and bassist Daniel Pugsley, along with guitarist Mikey Demus and drummer Arya Goggin.

Watch the music video for “Gimme That Boom“, a single from their latest LP Smile, below:

See below for Skindred’s UK headline tour dates:

06/10/2023 – Roadmender – Norhampton
07/10 – O2 Academy – Leeds
13/10 – Junction – Cambridge
14/10 – Epic – Norwich
19/10 – Rock City – Nottingham
20/10 – NX – Newcastle
21/10 – The Garage – Glasgow
26/10 – Dreamland – Margate
27/10 – Chalk – Brighton
28/10 – O2 Academy – Bristol
03/11 – Leadmill – Sheffield
04/11 – The Engine Shed – Lincoln
10/11 – The Great Hall – Cardiff
11/11 – O2 Guildhall – Southhampton
17/11 – Limelight 1 – Belfast
18/11 – Academy, Dublin
14/03/2024 – Academy, Manchester
15/03 – OVO Wembley Arena
16/03 – O2 Academy – Birmingham

You can purchase tickets for the London headline show along with other tour dates here.

You can purchase Smile here.